Well I make it 12th February which means if you haven’t got your valentines card and gift sorted by now, you’re treading on very thin ice my friend!
Even I made a trip into town to get a card and a small bunch of flowers, it’s not a lot but it’s not all about throwing money at a superficial day where florists and card manufacturers all over the world celebrate as their profits sky-rocket out of control!
If you have no money, why not create your loved one a bespoke playlist on Spotify and fill it with tracks that you both enjoyed listening to when you first met or better still, just send them a link to the latest ‘on the radar’ playlist which is guaranteed to have something for everyone!
On this playlist, you’ll hear 9 tracks from some of the world’s unsigned bands and artists, why they’re unsigned is a mystery to me, they blow the pants off most of the crap I hear on the radio every day, maybe they just need to be noticed, this is where you come in…..
If you enjoy the track, check below the playlist where you’l find details of our featured bands and artists, read all about them and take a few minutes to explore their socials where I’m sure you’ll find something interesting!
See you on the other side.
Our Propaganda
The album countdown is on! and in support, British alt-rock quartet Our Propaganda have kicked off 2022 releasing their fourth single ‘My Ghosts’; an almighty soaring crescendo through from melancholy to anthemic choruses.
"'My Ghosts' is about how your past comes back to haunt you in your darkest moments. It's about how sometimes, you never really let go of the problems you face as a young person. It's once again a song about accepting them as part of the person you've become. "They'll never leave me but despite them I carry on". It's about reconciling with painful memories and knowing that they’re not the arbiter of how you go on.” - Jack Denton, Our Propaganda
Taking influences from the likes of Biffy Clyro, Royal Blood, Twenty One Pilots and numerous iconic British artists, Our Propaganda have since 2016 been taking their striking blend of alt-indie rock to the stage, having previously gigged over half a dozen countries across Europe and played countless shows around London, the South of England and their hometowns of Southampton and Portsmouth, including five years’ consecutive invitation to the stage of Southampton Pride.
With 2022 ahead, and debut album release in their sights, Our Propaganda took Autumn 2021 to lay the foundations for their journey, signing a publishing deal with Peermusic followed by releasing debut single ‘Fast Food at Midnight’ in September, ‘Summer In Herrenberg’ in October, and ‘Essential Love’ in December, as well as headlining the near one-thousand cap 1865 in their hometown of Southampton, marking their triumphant return to music. What lies ahead is the build up to their debut album release, recorded with renowned producer Steve Lyon (Depeche Mode/The Cure), and mixed by Grammy nominated recording and sound engineer Jonas Westling.
Our Propaganda is Jack Denton, Harvey Groom, Joe Newman and Charlie Denton, and their fourth single ‘My Ghosts’ is available NOW
“My Ghosts is a polished slice of alt-rock that demands a second listen” - musomuso.com
Socials
Contact Light
Contact Light is from Philadelphia, PA, and strives to better the world of mental health with relatable lyrics and encouraging message.
Asked about how the band formed, they replied, “The band met at different times. There were a few different iterations of the band since it started in 2016 but the current line-up began when Steven and Joey met through mutual friends in late 2020. After a few practices, it became apparent that we needed another person to cover the guitar work that we couldn't play. We went through a few guitarists but finally settled on will near the end of 2021 after meeting him through one of our ex-guitarists. So, thank you to him for let us steal his friend. We hope your’re cool with that.”
The band have played a small handful of gigs, nothing huge but they are well on their way. They have a few festivals lined up this summer but can’t release info just yet so stay tuned for that (social links at the bottom).
On the topic of new music, they added, “All of the songs are off of our forthcoming album, ‘Disconnect’, come from a place. A world that we have envisioned called Disconnect where people's fears, insecurities, and problems are physically personified and come to life. We still have more to show you and there is definitely a lot more to learn about it as we continue this story.”
This latest single, Drown, is used as an anthem of empathy for individuals seeking help with their health and issues.
Socials
Sydney Gordon
“Chains” by Sydney Gordon introduces the 19 year old singer/songwriter with a fierce vocal performance, delivering an infectious power-pop melody with nuance and confidence. The range and texture of Sydney’s voice raises comparisons to some of the genre’s best singers such as Kelly Clarkson, Demi Lovato and Christina Aguilera. This release also initiates the launch of her independent label, Static Impulse Records, which will champion a steady stream of new singles from Sydney throughout 2022.
Asked about what inspired the writing and production of “Chains” Sydney explains; “The track was inspired by “Fall in Line” by Christina Aguilera and “River” by Bishop Briggs. I wanted to create something that had an edgy & powerful vibe that also expressed a playful & feminine pop feel. I wrote “Chains” when I was in a relationship where I knew I was putting the blame on him, but I was aware that I was at fault too! This was me admitting that to him and giving up the fight. I can be stubborn, but sometimes you must admit your wrongdoings, apologize and move on! In this song I’m putting aside my pride to fix something I care about. I’m saying that he can blame me or punish me for how I’ve acted, but either way I’m accepting my faults while also not expecting forgiveness.”
Sydney co-wrote “Chains” in collaboration with songwriter’s Mike Cortes and Ben Antelis. The track was produced by Mike Cortes & Zach Murphy, mixed by Tony Maserati and mastered by Dave Kutch.
Socials
Peter Michaels Jr
Peter Michaels Jr is a New York based musician who creates and produces his own music.
Of his recent album, Peter says, “Dunce is my first album in the new year! The tone of the album kind of treads along the line of self-doubt and self-soothing. I find that it validates some complication states of mind I find myself in at times. I'd like to think that anyone else who finds themselves in these weird intermediate states can find these songs well. Some fan favorites from live shows are "Songs in a Well" and "Cut Me Off". From feedback from a couple of friends, "Do the Dishes" seems to be a good track as well. Hopefully, the 'Dunce' can find its way to more open ears in good time!”
Peter is no stranger to the live circuit having played the Bitter End in NYC a few times with his band ‘Rubbasnuff’, other notable shows include The Bowery Electric and Bushwick Public House. They’re friends with a band from Jersey called "Mojohand" and they host an outdoor festival called "Mojofest" every year where they’ve been included a couple times as well.
Asked about the recording process, Peter added, “"Dunce" was recorded in my home studio, which is where most of my albums are recorded. During this time I was getting my hands on new instruments, notably the accordion, the flute, and a spinnet piano currently in my room. This album was my first dive into a new branch of instrumentation at my fingertips and how to mix them nicely. The next album coming out (whenever that is) has similar elements but is more refined and honed in.”
We’re certainly looking forward to more material from Peter, go check out the album ‘Dunce’ on Spotify and check him out on the socials below.
Socials
Julian Petrin
Sometimes it takes time until the right moment has come to open up to a larger audience. In more than three decades the German-Italian artist and composer Julian Petrin has created a collection of musical themes, which is now being re-published piece by piece.
Julian Petrin's music builds bridges between neo-classical music, compositional ambient and downtempo electronica. Raised on Jazz, fallen to the impressionists as a piano student, he got his first inspirations from artists like Jean-Michel Jarre, Ryuichi Sakamoto or David Sylvian. His music today can be located between the works of film music composers like Vladimir Cosma or Francis Lai and artists like Niklas Paschburg, Grandbrothers, Rone ore Bayonne.
Throughout his life, Julian Petrin has oscillated between urbanism, where he is working since more than 25 years, and music. After founding his first band in Düsseldorf in the 1980s, he moved to Munich in the early 1990s, where he wrote electronic stage music for independent theatre groups. A large part of his tracks were written in his present home town of Hamburg from 1993 onwards, with individual releases, e.g. in Raphael Marionneau's "Café Abstrait" series, Mercedes Benz Mixtape“ and on the Label i:deology. Over the past thirty years he created a rich catalogue of songs that reflect the decades from the dawn of synth pop to today's diverse ramifications of electronic instrumental music - and which is now being reedited, remixed and published step by step.
With his new release “Les folies“ he invites his audience to enjoy a glimpse of Spring.
Socials
SO there you have it folks, another 9 awesome tracks for you to get your ears around. If you liked any of them, please hit them up on the socials and tell them, mention that you heard them on the musomusofm on the radar playlist and they might even buy me a cookie if our paths ever cross!
Please take a moment to spread the word on social media, it’s on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, just head to musomusouk on either platform and give it a LIKE, SHARE, THUMBS UP or whatever you can!
Until next time…..